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1
An examination of the nutritional requirements of the
cat, as compared to other domesticated and laboratory
animals, shows some striking differences and supports
the view that several aspects of metabolism in the cat
have evolved in response to the cat's adherence to a strict
carnivorous diet (MacDonald et al., 1984c). These
metabolic differences have resulted in several nutri-
tional requirements that are unique (Morris and Rogers,
1982~. Some of these special nutrients that are required
by the cat are found normally in animal products but
not in plants. These include arachidonate, taurine, and
preformed vitamin A (i.e., carotene cannot be utilized).
Differences in enzyme activities result in absolute re-
quirements for niacin and arginine, and in a higher re-
quirement for protein. These and other lesser differ-
ences are considered in detail under sections for each
nutrient.
Behaviorally, the cat is also different from most do-
mestic animals. Many biological variables that exhibit
rhythmicity in most mammals have little rhythmicity in
the cat. Thus, the cat, when fed ad libitum, eats and
drinks randomly throughout the day and night rather
than being nocturnal or diurnal (Mugford, 1977; Kane
et al., 1981b). Meals are rather small, so the cat nor-
mally eats about 8 to 16 meals during a 24-hour period.
Even though this appears to be their natural feeding be-
havior (feral cats eat a wide variety of small prey that
include such animals as mice, birds, lizards, insects,
etc.), adult cats at maintenance can adapt to being fed
only once a day. Growing kittens and pregnant and lac-
tating queens, however, require feeding at more fre-
quent intervals.
The relatively short gastrointestinal tract of the cat
results in a rapid rate of passage and therefore somewhat
lower digestibility for many natural feedstuffs than that
of the dog or rat (Kendall et al., 1983~. Therefore, high-
quality foods best serve this species.
In';roduction
As might be expected, the cat also has different taste
preferences than omnivores and herbivores. The cat is
not responsive to a sweet flavor but does respond to the
taste of certain amino acids and peptides (Beauchamp et
al., 1977; White and Boudreau, 1975~. Thus, meat ex-
tracts and peptides (commonly from tissue digests) have
positive acceptance properties for the cat. Animal fats
also generally improve the palatability of cat diets with
little preferential difference exhibited among rendered
fats (Kane et al., 1981a) as long as fats are not rancid.
Finally, the texture of the food is important. The cat
generally prefers solid, moist foods to dry, powdery
foods. Nevertheless, when started at a young age, kit-
tens can be trained to eat a wide variety of textures and
flavors. Thus, adequate acceptable diets can be pre-
pared from natural foodstuffs (using both animal and
plant products) as is common for commercial cat foods.
Also, diets that are both nutritionally adequate and ac-
ceptable can be prepared from purified carbohydrates,
fats, proteins, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals (pu-
rified diets). More details in this area may be found in
the chapter on "Formulated Diets for Cats."
Details about the nutritional requirements of the cat
are presented throughout the text, and a complete sum-
mary of the requirements of growing kittens is given in
Table 2. Few nutritional requirements are known for
the adult cat for maintenance or for pregnancy and lac-
tation. Where requirements are known for individual
nutrients for stages of life other than for growth, they
are listed in footnotes to Table 2. The brevity of the foot-
notes denotes the paucity of available data.
While the nutrient requirements in this report are
based on published research and practical experience,
some of the values, although known to be adequate, are
probably not minimal requirements. A margin of safety
was not intentionally incorporated into these recom-
mendations. It is important to note that the require-
1
OCR for page 2
2 Nutnent Requirements of Cats
4.2
3.6
3.0
2.4
.8
~ .2
0.6
me'
O'-
0 4 8 12
Grovvth Curve of Male Kittens
N = 19 Mean + 1 SE)
. ,
Growth Curve of Female Kittens
N = 37 Mean + 1 SD
16 20
24 28 32
AGE (weeks)
FIGURE 1 Growth curves of male and female kittens. Adapted from Loveridge (1986a).
meets for many of the nutrients listed in Table 2 have
been established using purified diets (e.g., amino acid
diets were used in determining the amino acid require-
ments), and therefore an allowance for a product of
lower digestibility (and/or availability) should be used
when the nutrients are supplied by foodstuffs. The
availability of minerals would be expected to vary con-
siderably, depending on the feed source. Compounds
occurring in foods such as physic acid or chitin may
markedly reduce the availability of minerals from feed
sources and were not considered in the expression of the
minimal requirements determined using purified diets.
1 1 1
J
36 40 44 48 52
Thus, minimal requirements as shown in the tables as-
sume that nutrient availability is equal to that of puri-
fied diets.
Growth curves for male and female short-haired, do-
mestic cats are shown in Figure 1 to present a normal
growth response (Loveridge, 1986a). Breeds vary con-
siderably in size such that a normal, lean, full-grown cat
may weigh anywhere from 2 to 6 kg.
Finally, these nutrient requirements are based on the
best information available; modifications should be
made as environmental and other circumstances may
warrant.
Representative terms from entire chapter:
purified diets
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